Hi All,
I recently bought a hail damaged 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited with 117,000 miles. The maintenance records show impressively regular maintenance and I’m hoping this car will last me a long time. Also it was a Texas car which I’m happy to report given I’m in MN – no significant rust yet.
I do have an initial concern I didn't completely pick up on until after purchasing.
I have some sort of clunk feeling (not really a noise yet) in the front end at lower speeds - seems to be both straight and in turns on moderate to large bumps, cracks, etc. I’ve jacked the car up, wiggled both front tires at 3/9 and 6/12 with the suspension completely unloaded – everything felt solid. I also wiggled the sway bar and end links, inner and outer tie rods, pried on the balljoints, and used a rubber mallet on the various components both completely unloaded and various points of loading the suspension by jacking under the control arms. I did not feel or hear any noticeable play other than pounding on the right tie rod produced a small rattle whereas the left did not.
Although I expected an inner tie-rod, I'm unsure if this small rattle is enough to pinpoint that as the issue – I was hoping to find something more obvious. Anyone have some additional tips or trick for tracking down this clunk? Did I miss something? I know this is one of the hardest type of questions to nail down online. I also don’t want to just start throwing parts at it.
Also the bushings at the rear of the control arm seemed pretty dry with significant surface cracking.
I have wrenched on my 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix for maybe 7 years (including the entire front end) so I should be able to tackle most things myself. Thanks in advance for any help!
I recently bought a hail damaged 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited with 117,000 miles. The maintenance records show impressively regular maintenance and I’m hoping this car will last me a long time. Also it was a Texas car which I’m happy to report given I’m in MN – no significant rust yet.
I do have an initial concern I didn't completely pick up on until after purchasing.
I have some sort of clunk feeling (not really a noise yet) in the front end at lower speeds - seems to be both straight and in turns on moderate to large bumps, cracks, etc. I’ve jacked the car up, wiggled both front tires at 3/9 and 6/12 with the suspension completely unloaded – everything felt solid. I also wiggled the sway bar and end links, inner and outer tie rods, pried on the balljoints, and used a rubber mallet on the various components both completely unloaded and various points of loading the suspension by jacking under the control arms. I did not feel or hear any noticeable play other than pounding on the right tie rod produced a small rattle whereas the left did not.
Although I expected an inner tie-rod, I'm unsure if this small rattle is enough to pinpoint that as the issue – I was hoping to find something more obvious. Anyone have some additional tips or trick for tracking down this clunk? Did I miss something? I know this is one of the hardest type of questions to nail down online. I also don’t want to just start throwing parts at it.
Also the bushings at the rear of the control arm seemed pretty dry with significant surface cracking.
I have wrenched on my 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix for maybe 7 years (including the entire front end) so I should be able to tackle most things myself. Thanks in advance for any help!
